Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) is a Foreign Animal Disease that has emerged sporadically in the western United States this summer. A viral disease, it can affect horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, llamas, and conceivably, other hoofstock. It has been rarely reported in bobcats, raccoons and monkeys.
Flies and midges spread the disease, along with direct contact with infected animals. Like other vesicular disease complexes, you will see blisters, ulceration, and drooling. Animals may go off feed. Do not take these clinical signs lightly, please report any suspicious clinically ill animals to your State Animal Health Official.
For more information, including 2019 situational reports, visit the VSV information page on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website. Note that so far, cases have been detected in Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. If you reside in these states, it is recommended you also check with your State Animal Health Official’s website for pertinent state information.